Date:18/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/18/stories/2007061854630400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Sluice gate of Putheri lake damaged

K. Manikandan

Residents term it ‘sabotage’

LOCAL ANGER: Residents gather near the damaged sluice gate of Putheri Lake in Tambaram on Sunday.

TAMBARAM: A sluice gate of Putheri Lake in Tambaram was damaged on Saturday, which the residents said was an act of sabotage to let the water out. Officials of the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply, however, termed it an accident, as they had engaged a private agency to drain the contaminated water from the lake.

The original expanse of Putheri Lake - also known as Ranganathapuram Lake and Kadaperi Lake – was 90 acres, but now shrunk to 60 acres due to encroachments and construction activity. Sewage from houses and commercial establishments from large areas of West Tambaram, Ranganathapuram, Kadeperi and the Tambaram Depot of Metropolitan Transport Corporation drains into the lake.

For several years, civic groups and elected representatives have appealed to the State government to clean it, as domestic wells near the lake were also getting contaminated. On Saturday, Tambaram Municipality engaged a private agency to drain water from the lake and also to clear plastic waste that had choked the two sluice gates (‘madhagu’) at the bund on the northern side.

Residents of Ranganathapuram charged that the contractor placed bushes all along the lake bund in an attempt to prevent others from using the bund and then demolished the sluice gates with an earthmover. “The sluice gates were built during the British period to regulate the flow of water for irrigation and to drain excess water during monsoon,” said Rajan Mani, a resident. Groups of agitated residents gathered at the spot on getting information about the incident.

Since Saturday, a large quantity of water stored had been drained and they feared that a few spells of rain could weaken and even damage the bund at the spot where the sluice gate was demolished.

While acknowledging that the lake had be cleared of plastic waste and made free from contamination, the residents said none had rights to touch the sluice gate . Pointing out to similar instances near Tambaram in the past, residents feared that once the lake was completely drained, there was a possibility of real estate sharks moving in on the dried-up lake bed.

Officials maintained the private agency was contracted only to drain contaminated water and to clear plastic waste. The damage to the sluice gate was an accident, and would be attended to immediately.